This is the spot where Paul and Laura Cooley are sharing quips, queries, quibblings, quirks, and quantifications of their daily lives.
To the title: Zee or Zed? The quandary continues to this a most complicated and highly controversial argument that Laura and Paul have had over the pronunciation of the letter 'Z'. It may summarize our daily cross-cultural lives as an American and a Canadian share all that matters, and several things that don't matter, with each other.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Sunday, October 05, 2008

From learning to walk to walking like a champ. Mobility is now Nathan's middle name. He loves this new found freedom. "Na, Na, Fa, Da, Ya!", as he clutches a toy at walks around the house.

A late September vacation at Cannon beach was great. Sand, Surf, and seagulls are a 1-years favorite things. Funny how you cannot wash sand out of your mouth with more sand, isn't it Nathan? Nathan is a great little comedian, at dinner in Cannon Beach you had mom and dad in tears laughing with you.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

Paul and I were planning on a nice quite time at home on Thursday. Well Nathan had other plans. It is 6pm and Nathan is hungry again after eating dinner at 5. So I sit him up in his high chair and grab him some dessert, while we wait for Paul to come home. A frozen OJ/water Popsicle and some watermelon. Oh does he love watermelon. Well this watermelon is a bit firm so I cut it up into bites for him, most days he gets a slice to munch on. He eats almost all of it and only has 3 chunks left plus a huge mouthful. I see the choking face and think he will clear it as he made that face of I have swallowed too much before. But this time no noise. My heart sinks and breath quickens. OK I know what to do. Calm comes over me when he coughs and out comes some watermelon bits. I think great he will be fine... Ah no I am wrong.. He is wheezy and is having a hard time breathing. So I grab Nathan and the phone and dail 911. I can feel myself breathing hard. I can feel Nathan's breath going in and out. I can hear it. I am happy he has air but concerned as he is working hard for it. 911 transfers me quickly to the right line. I am happy I can remember my Nathan's age, our phone number and address. I am glad the firehouse is only a 1/2 mile away. I can only hear my breath and his... then I hear the garage and the aid car in the distance. Paul is home.. things are getting better. My breath slows. Nathan is breathing better. Happy tears are in my eyes. Paul comes into the room and I ask him to flag down the aid car. They come in and can hear something in his wind pipe and Brent thinks we should go to the ER. The other guy asks to look at what Nathan was eating. It is important to them that I know what he was eating. I am happy I know what he was eating, that I was sitting with him and not in the garage getting a can of something for dinner, not in the bathroom. I am happy that I was sitting with him.

Well we had our aid car ride with the paramedics. Nathan is so unhappy, he doesn't want them to touch him. He doesn't want to sit on my lap. He doesn't want to be there. He isn't his normal self, I can tell he is still uncomfortable. Brent tells me his color is good and he is getting lots of air. That helps the 15 min ride go faster. We talk about his kids... he has a 19 year old and a 6 month old. They had tried for #2 for a long time and were not expecting another. I am wondering why they are not going on the freeway. I guess because Nathan isn't buckled in. We get to the ER and find our room. The doctor looks at him and says he can't hear any problems. I am sure he is still wheezy. Since the paramedic said he heard something in his windpipe they want to do a x-ray. Then we wait and wait. We go back in to a darkened room, sit a very sleepy boy on a chair and put on our lead vests. They take the pictures and then we head back to our room. Nathan has returned to his normal self and I feel like he is not wheezy now. Then we wait. The doctor comes in and says there is no seeds in his lungs, any watermelon meat will be fine in there. It is 8:45 and and they let us go home. Two of our friends had choking issues the same night but didn't go to the ER. Paul is a rock under pressure. Nathan is a trooper. They are my boys.